Number Of Psychosocial Problems Research Articles

Impact of Traumatic Disorder on Families of United Nation Soldiers Deployed on Peace Keeping Missions

Purpose: The study sought to investigate the use of impact of traumatic disorder on families of United Nation soldiers deployed on peace keeping missions.
 Materials and Methods: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings show that wives of military personnel on peacekeeping mission are beleaguered by a number of psychosocial problems among which are loneliness, fear that the husbands might lose their lives during the mission, children missing their fathers and lack of guidance and counseling on how coping could be achieved.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The quantity of life theory was very instrumental in this study, future studies anchored on different context could benefit from the theory. The study recommended that, there is need to pay increased attention to military families affected by combat deployment to the current conflicts. Transitions such as those engendered by the deployment cycle offer prime opportunities to strengthen already present skills and introduce new strategies. Policy maker’s needs to provide a framework for understanding and supporting military families affected by deployment, and adapt, a new implementation of family care being developed specifically for military families that empowers parents to be their children’s best teachers.

Guest Editorial-SOLUTIONS OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY-AND-MALNUTRITION

Childhood obesity and malnutrition have taken up prime importance for the medical community. This becomes much more important for the sport academies, who like to train and to groom national and international athletes. As early as the turn of this century, Ludwig (2007) discussed 4 phases of obesity pandemic, deliberating upon their long-term effects. Phase I, from 1970 till 2007, would have cases of obesity on rise due to lack of awareness of its damaging effects. After 2007, Phase II would appear with grave medical conditions as type-II diabetes, fatty lever and a number of psychosocial problems. In Phase III, the situation would, further, deteriorate and life-threatening diseases, like coronary heart disease, kidney failure and many more would increase mortality rate and shorten life expectancy of population of the United States. In Phase IV, the prevalence of weight-related diseases would accelerate more resulting in non-genetic influences in children, if such a trend continued. In an e-communication to Rafia Imtiaz (student of the author), Ludwig explained, “Phase IV of the epidemic would develop slowing over time, as obese children grow up and give birth to the next generation of children.” A year earlier, Collins et al. (2006) described programs for management of severe acute malnutrition in children.
 The author and his group have been working in devising solutions of childhood obesity-and-malnutrition since the turn of this century. The first- to the tenth-generation solutions have been proposed from 2013 to this year (Kamal, 2022b). The prime challenges are (a) weight management according to the height, computed from Growth-and-Obesity Roadmaps, within the next half-a-year, so that the youngster does not become wasted based on recommendations according to the most-recently-measured height and (b) absence of a proper definition of obesity in children. Professor Claude Marcus, Head, Division of Pediatrics, Karoliska University Hospital, National Childhood Obesity Center, Karoliska Institutet, Sweden, commented on the author’s proposed definition of childhood obesity (Kamal, 2017): “Thank you very much. We are deeply concerned about how to define obesity and degree of obesity so we can follow effects of treatment over time and association with co-morbidities. The present obesity curves are unreliable and we are now trying to identify new ways to follow obese children over time. Therefore, your paper is welcome to us.” These solutions have extended nutritional-status categories from pre-2014, three to twenty three in 2021, differentiating between instantaneous obesity (wasting) and true obesity (wasting), combined with instantaneous tallness (stunting) and true tallness (stunting). Severity of acute malnutrition is categorized as mild, intermediate and extreme, in order to make it easy to devise appropriate intervention strategies (Kamal, 2022b).
 These efforts have paid off in terms of saving the life of a cardiac patient (Kamal, 2015) and sparing an apparently-stunted child from unnecessary treatment (Kamal, 2022a).
 Future work should feature the eleventh-generation solution of childhood obesity-and-malnutrition, Growth-and-Obesity Roadmaps 5.0 for children of still-growing parents (expected to appear in January 2023) as well as Growth-and-Obesity Roadmaps for children participating in gymnastics. The author hopes that these mathematical-statistical tools should help school-health-team members, sport instructors, teachers and parents devise and implement programs to raise healthy and fit children, which should become pride of our nation!

Psychosocial Effect and Role of Genetic Counselling in Primary Health Care

Medical knowledge of both prevalent and rare diseases is changing as a result of recent advanced innovations. In the team that provides genetic services, such as genetic risk assessment, counseling, and continuous medical care for patients with inherited predisposition to disease, primary healthcare plays a crucial role. Primary care physicians can integrate genetic counseling within the larger context of a patient's overall health state since they are accustomed to prioritizing among competing clinical needs. The ongoing relationship that develops between physicians and patients over time is another aspect of primary care that is well-suited for genetic counseling. As patients' needs and emotional states change over time, primary care may provide continual patient education and counseling. When patients ask their primary care physicians about genetic tests and capabilities, they are frequently ill-equipped to respond for which further research along with the training of physicians is needed. Additionally, the majority of patients are also unprepared for the plethora of psychosocial problems that result from genetic testing. The primary care physician is more equipped to incorporate psychosocial factors into any discussion of genetic information since they are more familiar with the patient's broader perspective. When a patient is identified with genetic or familial predisposition to an illness, a number of psychosocial problems may arise. If their risk is revealed, people can be concerned about stigmatization, insurance eligibility, and employment discrimination. The purpose of this research is to review the available information about psychosocial effect and role of genetic counselling in primary health care.

Psychosocial care experiences of patients with COVID-19 at home in Iran: A qualitative study.

Due to the onset peak of COVID‐19, as well as a shortage of human resources, physical environment, protective and medical equipment in hospitals, many patients with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID‐19 are pushed to home care. This condition not only raises public health concerns but also causes a number of psychosocial problems. Therefore, this study intends to examine the psychosocial experiences of patients with COVID‐19 after passing the crisis stage. A qualitative study with a conventional content analysis method was used. Thirty participants were selected using purposeful sampling from Khoy Educational and Medical Centers from 20 March to 20 June 2020. In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed by continuous comparative analysis using MAXQDA 10 software. The concepts extracted from data analysis identified eight subthemes and three main themes. Social rejection theme includes three subthemes: ‘Insularity of the patient’, ‘Concealment’ and ‘patient as the life‐threatening center’. Lack of support theme consists of three subthemes including: ‘financial concerns’, ‘non‐response of the treatment team after discharge’ and ‘concerns about the persistent condition of the disease’. Efforts to gain mental peace theme has two subthemes: ‘recourse to spirituality’ and ‘strengthening hope’. According to the results of the present study, it is necessary to examine the psychological and social needs of patients. Also, by identifying high‐risk groups, supportive psychological networks such as telephone, internet and on‐site medical services to help patients, medical worker and others affected in overcoming psychological problems should be increased. Providing free service packages such as the Internet, free financial aid to damaged jobs and creating the necessary platforms for online shopping and payment services, as well as training on how to plan and practice rehabilitation at home for patients and family caregivers can be helpful.

Statutory Rape: Case Characteristics When Offenders are Younger Than 21 Years of Age Versus Older.

Statutory rape laws are intended to protect adolescents from harm as a result of sexual activity with older individuals. In this pursuit, many, but far from all, states' statutory rape laws differentiate younger and older offenders. In effect, many of these states differentiate offenders who are 21 and older from those who are under 21. It is unknown, however, whether and how the dynamics of statutory rape vary depending on the age of the offender. To explore the contribution of offender age to the dynamics of statutory rape, data were collected from the records of 105 statutory rape cases referred to a child abuse assessment center over a 63-month period. Records included detailed reports on case history and victims' family history, mental health and health-risking behaviors, medical examination results, and forensic interview summaries. Cases of offenders11.Because these cases are under investigation, "offenders" here refers to "suspects." For ease of reading, we use "offenders" to be consistent with prior research terminology. under 21 were compared to the cases of offenders 21 years and older. Compared to cases of younger offenders, cases of offenders 21 years and older more often involved slightly older adolescent victims. Independent of age, victims with offenders 21 and over compared with offenders under 21 were over six times as likely to have a prior history of a high, versus low, number of psychosocial problems and were seven times more likely to experience multiple forms of coercion versus no coercion by the offender. Findings suggest that statutory rape prevention, policy and response strategies should consider the critical ways that case characteristics and victims differ according to this key offender attribute.

Anger and depression among incarcerated male youth: Predictors of violent and nonviolent offending during adjustment to incarceration.

Anger and depression are associated with a number of psychosocial problems, and their comorbidity may exacerbate maladjustment among incarcerated youth. The present study aims to identify whether anger and its different facets (cognitive, arousal, and behavioral), either independently or when conjoined with depressed mood, affects violent and nonviolent institutional infractions. Male adolescents (14-17 years of age) were recruited within 48 hr of arrival at a juvenile detention facility and were administered psychometric measures of anger (Novaco Anger Scale) and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale) at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. Offending within the facility was assessed via self-report and institutional records. Controlling for prior offending and other background factors, individuals having high anger scores were more likely to offend over the 2-month period, compared to those with lower levels of anger. Novaco Anger Scale scores, especially the Behavioral facet, predicted both official- and self-reported (violent and nonviolent) institutional offending. There was evidence for the interaction of depression and anger at baseline predicting self-reported offending at 1 month only. Given that juveniles' self-report of emotional distress, particularly anger, is predictive of their violent and nonviolent infractions, focused intervention programs could reduce behavior problems during incarceration that add to juveniles' maladjustment and continued exposure to adversities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Analysis of Syndemic Psychosocial Problems Predicting HIV Risk Behavior Among a Multicity Prospective Cohort of Sexually Active Young Transgender Women in the United States

Background: Cross-sectional studies have suggested that co-occurring epidemics or syndemics of psychosocial problems may accelerate HIV acquisition and transmission via elevated sexual risk behavior among transgender women. We aimed to examine how a of seven psychosocial problems potentiates HIV sexual risk behavior among a multicity, longitudinal cohort of sexually active young transgender women (YTW) in the United States. Methods: Between 2012 and 2015, 233 YTW from Boston, MA and Chicago, IL completed behavioral surveys at baseline, 4-, 8-, and 12-months. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the prospective relationship of overlapping psychosocial problems and condomless anal or vaginal sex (CAVS) among YTW. Findings: The prevalence of seven psychosocial problems was substantial at baseline and remained high at each time point: 42.1% clinically significant depressive symptoms; 6.4% polydrug use past 4 months (>3 drugs used, excluding stimulants); 15.9% stimulant use past 4 months; 7.7% heavy alcohol use past 4 month (≥ 4 drinks every day or ≥ 6 drinks on a typical day when drinking); 10% childhood sexual abuse; 41.7% experiencing lifetime intimate partner violence; and 68.6% lifetime transgender specific victimization. We identified a statistically significant positive dose-response relationship between the number of psychosocial problems and CAVS over time (with the greatest adjusted odds ratio among those with 5 or more psychosocial problems; aOR=3.27; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-9.41). Interpretation: The accumulation of syndemic psychosocial problems predicted HIV sexual risk behavior in a prospective cohort of YTW. Given the high prevalence of psychosocial problems and HIV sexual risk behavior, as well as having the highest HIV incidence among any risk group, the HIV prevention agenda requires a shift toward improved assessment of psychosocial comorbidities and stronger integration with mental health and substance abuse treatment services for this population. Funding: R01MH094323 from the National Institute of Mental Health. Declaration of Interest: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical Approval: The study was approved by institutional review boards at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health. Written informed consent was obtained for each participant with parental consent waived for minors (aged 16-17 years).

Drug Use, Sexual Risk, and Syndemic Production Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Engage in Group Sexual Encounters.

We surveyed men who have sex with men (MSM) to determine whether sexual risk behaviors, recent drug use, and other psychosocial problems differed between men who engaged in one-on-one and group sexual encounters. We conducted an Internet-based cross-sectional survey of 7158 MSM aged 18 years or older in the United States recruited from a gay-oriented sexual networking Web site in 2008. Among MSM who engaged in group sexual encounters, we compared their past-60-day sexual behaviors in one-on-one encounters and group sexual encounters. We also compared risk profiles and syndemic production between men who did and did not participate in group sex. Men reporting a group-sex encounter had significantly higher polydrug use and sexual risk than did the men not reporting group sex in the past 60 days. The odds of engaging in group sex with 4 or more sexual partners significantly increased with the number of psychosocial problems, supporting evidence of syndemic production. We identified a particularly high-risk subgroup in the MSM population with considerable psychosocial problems that may be reached online. Research is needed on how to engage these high-risk men in combination prevention interventions.

Internalisierendes Problemverhalten und Cannabiskonsum: Zusammenhänge und Einflussvariablen in einer Querschnittsuntersuchung 14- bis 23-jähriger Cannabiskonsumenten

Regarding the association between internalizing problem behaviour and cannabis use in adolescents and young adults, several studies were published in recent time. Using cross-sectional data from adolescent and young adult cannabis users of the project "CAN Stop" (n = 239; age 14-23), associations between internalizing problem behaviour, cannabis effects expectancies, number of psychosocial problems and severity of dependence were analysed with an age- and gender-sensitive perspective. By describing young cannabis users, we seek to deepen the understanding of the association between cannabis use and internalizing problem behaviour. Cannabis users with normal-range YSR/YASR-profiles, internalizing problem behaviour, externalizing problem behaviour or combined problems differ significantly regarding their age of first cannabis use, age of regular cannabis use and number of both cannabis and alcohol use days. Regarding cannabis effects expectancies, cannabis users with externalizing problem behaviour show a broader variation of positive expectancies. Internalizing problems were associated with impairing and sedating effects expectancies.

Medical and psychosocial problems in middle-aged spina bifida patients: survey among members of the Dutch patients’ association

Purpose: To identify physical, emotional and psychosocial issues in the older person with spina bifida (SB). Method: Members of the Dutch patients’ association aged >25 years (n = 184) were asked to complete a questionnaire. This survey contained questions on physical and psychosocial complaints, as well as problems regarding social participation. Results: A total of 61 people (33.2%) with a median age of 45 years (IQR 33.5–60.0) years responded. During the previous 5 years, 86.9% experienced new physical complaints, whereas only 13.1% remained free of new complaints. 50.8% of the persons had new bladder problems and 44.1% had bowel complaints. Older persons more often had physical complaints. New musculoskeletal problems occurred in 75.4%. Psychological problems were common (78.7%). Overall psychological problems were not associated with gender, hydrocephalus or age. Social participation was good, with 90.2% of persons taking part in some type of social activity. Conclusions: In this study, a majority of adult persons with SB reported newly arising physical and psychological problems during the previous 5 years. Given the large number and diversity of the newly emerging problems after adolescence, regular and multidisciplinary surveillance of adult persons with SB is recommended.Implications for RehabilitationAdults with spina bifida often disappear from follow-up, or are forced to take care of their follow-up themselves.According to a survey carried out among adult SB-patients from the general community, these persons continued to struggle with many physical and psychosocial problems.Given the high number of psychosocial problems in this sample of patients, psychosocial counseling could be beneficial during follow-up.This paper adds to the body of evidence indicating that multidisciplinary follow-up for SB-patients could be beneficial, also when patients grow beyond the age of 18 years.

What makes community psychiatric nurses label non-psychotic chronic patients as ‘difficult’: patient, professional, treatment and social variables

PurposeTo determine which patient, professional, treatment and/or social variables make community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) label non-psychotic chronic patients as ‘difficult’.MethodsA questionnaire was designed and administered to 1,946 CPNs in the Netherlands. Logistic regression was used to design models that most accurately described the variables that contributed to perceived difficulty.ResultsSix variables were retained in the final logistic model. Perception-related variables (feeling powerless, feeling that the patient is able but unwilling to change, and pessimism about the patient’s change potential) dominated treatment-related variables (number of contacts per week and admission to a locked ward in the last year) and social variables (number of psychosocial problems).ConclusionThis research shows that perceived difficulty is related to complex treatment situations, not so much to individual patient characteristics. If the constructed model has good predictive qualities, which remains to be tested in longitudinal research, it may be possible to accurately predict perceived patient difficulty. When used as a screening tool, such a model could improve treatment outcomes.

Experiences of Dutch families who parent an adopted Romanian child.

The pilot phase of a longitudinal study of 83 children (response 86%) adopted from Romania is reported; the present status of the children is compared with the past status on the basis of parental recollection. At placement, the average age of the children was 2.9 years; at the time of the interview of the adoptive parents, the average age of the children was 6.8 years. At placement, 67% of the adoptive parents needed professional help, and 10% of the children were infected with Hepatitis B. Only 13% did not show any important psychosocial problems. The number of psychosocial problems reported by the parents at placement predicts 69% of the lag of development observed 4 years later; the age of arrival adds up to 72%. Most problems still exist 4 years after placement; however, no disruptions of the adoption have taken place yet.

Social Skills and Psychosocial Problems among the Elderly

The disruption of communication behaviors as a result of aging led to the hypothesis that elderly subjects would exhibit more problematic social skills than younger subjects. These social skills deficits were further hypothesized to be associated with rejection from others and a number of psychosocial problems. Elderly and young subjects engaged in two different interactions, with an age-matched partner, and an age-unmatched partner, from which social skills and interpersonal rejection were assessed. Subjects also completed self-report measures of social skills and psychosocial problems. Elderly subjects did not differ from young subjects on most measures of social skill, nor on the measure of interpersonal rejection. However, the elderly reported more symptoms of dysphoria and lower self-esteem than did young subjects. The lack of young-elderly differences in social skills may be due to the high level of functioning evident in the elderly sample.

Training for palliative medicine. II: How should palliative physicians be trained? An observational study of the clinical skills needed by senior palliative physicians

Palliative medicine is a new specialty in the UK. Formal training schemes are slowly evolving but some debate exists as to what precise experience such schemes provide. Five senior palliative physicians were observed in their clinical work in order to obtain information about the nature of the clinical problems that they were routinely managing and hence about where emphases in training should lie. The doctors were observed dealing with 262 problems in 112 patients. The results demonstrate the wide range of problems in symptom control that palliative physicians manage, highlight the significant incidence of nonmalignant problems which require a broad knowledge of medicine, and show the large number of psychosocial problems for which communication skills, knowledge of psychiatry and awareness of community services are needed. The authors suggest seven areas which higher training must cover. They note that no other higher specialist training will provide the skills needed, and that no one background or qualification emerges as the 'best' prior to higher specialist training.

Psychosocial Issues for People with Cancer Their Families

The diagnosis of cancer has a devastating impact not only for the person diagnosed but for family members as well. A number of psychosocial problems become evident as the individual and family attempt to come to terms with the diagnosis and what it means. Occupational therapy intervention can contribute to the psychosocial adjustment of the person with cancer and their family.

The Use of Formal Helping Networks to Meet the Psychological Needs of the Hispanic Elderly

Increasing attentioni has beent given to the iden1tificationi alnd description of variables associated with medical ancd social services needed, sou(ght, and u.sed by tihe elderly. LIittle is known, howevet; about those variables that iifluteince thle uIse offormal helping networks (i.e., use agency, couni.selo,; psychologist, doctol; or priest) lo meet the psychological needs of the Hispanic elderly. This stiudvy develops anld evaluates a causal model of formal helpinig network utilization among Hispanic older people. TIhe framework proposed by An1dersenI anid Newman (1973) is u(sed to categorize the variables employed in the study. The netehods of analysis are of multiple regression and palh analysis. The results intdicate that 3 of 19 variables in the mnodel directly affect use. Jointly, the thiree signtificant predictors (i.e., number of psychosocial problems, formal churchi attendance, anid severity of physical illniess) accouit for 18% of the variance in formal helpintg network use. Additionially they act as important medialitig variables in the model.

Chronic tinnitus: Association with psychiatric diagnoses

Twenty-one consecutive patients with severe tinnitus were interviewed using a structured psychiatric interview (the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule) and were asked to complete the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) and the Chronic Illness Problem Inventory. They were compared to a control group of 14 patients attending an otolaryngological clinic with a complaint of hearing loss. The tinnitus patients had a significantly greater lifetime prevalence of major depression (62% vs 21%) than controls and a significantly higher prevalence of current major depression (48% vs 7%). The currently depressed tinnitus patients had significantly higher scores on all subscales of the SCL-90, except the phobia and paranoid subscales, compared to the non-depressed tinnitus group and on all scales compared to the controls. The number of psychosocial problems and thus the resulting disability experienced was significantly greater in the tinnitus group compared to controls and in the currently depressed tinnitus patients when compared to non-depressed tinnitus patients. In view of our results treatment should aim at not only alleviation of tinnitus, but also the frequently co-existing major depression.